There's something really poignant in the way Vessel starts the album with "Will you listen" and finishing it off with "I will be what I am", and the way those two songs use the same staccato synth to create a loop.
EIA is filled with identity crisis - he doesn't know who is/was; there are two of him that need to co-exist somehow; he's not the same as before but still himself. Musically speaking, this album pushes genres and boundaries in ways that are certain to alienate certain groups of people. And he knows all that.
He is asking us to actually listen to him, to the music, and ends with an unapologetic statement. This is me, this is what you get, this is what will always be. And as you loop the album, the "will you listen" question is ever present in the way he gets uncomfortably honest about who he is, and all the things that have transpired before (some significantly more recent).
"Stick to me, walk beside me; stride by stride together; show me how to dance; drift with me."
If we just listen and embrace him, embrace Sleep Token for all that they are, maybe we can actually dance forever - as a team. Together.
Have you ever noticed how Vessel has never actually said the words "I love you"? Like. He says it many, many times - each breath he takes is a confession - but he has never said it.
It's always "my love is / as (...)", "I'm full of the love you want", "like lovers", "your love", "(...) falling in love with me". The closest we get is "I made loving you (...)". Which still isn't quite the same as saying I love you.
It's almost like he needs to put some sort of barrier between what he feels and what he knows it's the truth to lessen the blow. Because he does love them, and will continue to do so, forevermore. No matter the cost of rain, through death. He's theirs unconditionally, even if it hurts him, right?
But they don't feel the same. He knows that. He begs for it, for them to fall for him, to take a bite, show him what it's like.
Vessel knows that they want his love, companionship, worship, whatever you want to call it, the way a wolf wants its prey. He knows that they keep him around, keep pretending to be falling in love with him, merely as play thing, a means to an end. He knows all of this and keeps loving anyway, knowing that his love doesn't matter.
You don't really love,
you just hate to be alone.
Because hiding behind big, fancy, flourished phrases like "I'll live like I've got missing limbs for you", and "My arms belong around you", and "We go beyond the farthest reaches", and -
And you know I'll be yours
Just want to be worth it
I will run like the wind till you follow me again
- is much easier than to admit the very simple and pathetic three-worded truth, knowing it is not reciprocated. Not anymore at least (if ever).
If what they say is "Nothing is forever", then what makes love the exception?
Alright, I'm joining the research team side of tumblr and going through every element of the website / new information. A lot of what's here has been posted by others, so this is more of a compilation of things and me thinking out loud.
The Code - D O U O S V A V V M
The Shugborough Inscription is a sequence of letters – O U O S V A V V, between the letters D M on a lower plane – carved on the 18th-century Shepherd's Monument in the grounds of Shugborough Hall in Staffordshire, England, below a mirror image of Nicolas Poussin's painting the Shepherds of Arcadia (...)
[about the relief]
On the tomb is carved the Latin text Et in arcadia ego ("I am also in Arcadia" or "I am, even in Arcadia")
The letters on the second line, D M, were commonly used on Roman tombs to stand for Dis Manibus, meaning "dedicated to the shades". (from wikipedia page)
I'm not gonna go into much detail about the whole Holy Grail thing, bevause you've all probably read this article by now. I do wanna point point out the obvious Arcadia = Eden connection:
Arcadia (Greek: Αρκαδία) refers to a vision of pastoralism and harmony with nature. The term is derived from the Greek province of the same name which dates to antiquity; the province's mountainous topography and sparse population of pastoralists later caused the word Arcadia to develop into a poetic byword for an idyllic vision of unspoiled wilderness. Arcadia is a poetic term associated with bountiful natural splendor and harmony. The 'Garden' is often inhabited by shepherds. The concept also figures in Renaissance mythology. Although commonly thought of as being in line with Utopian ideals, Arcadia differs from that tradition in that it is more often specifically regarded as unattainable. Furthermore, it is seen as a lost, Edenic form of life, contrasting to the progressive nature of Utopian desires.
Greek mythology and the poetry of Theocritus inspired the Roman poet Virgil to write his Eclogues, a series of poems with references to Arcadia as the home of Pan, pipes and singing. (from wikipedia page)
And to point put what the shades in "dis manibus" mean:
In ancient Roman religion, the Manes (/ˈmeɪniːz/, Latin: mānēs, Classical Latin: [ˈmaː.neːs̠]) or Di Manes are chthonic deities sometimes thought to represent souls of deceased loved ones. They were associated with the Lares, Lemures, Genii, and Di Penates as deities (di) that pertained to domestic, local, and personal cult. They belonged broadly to the category of di inferi, "those who dwell below", the undifferentiated collective of divine dead. (from wikipedia page)
POINTING OUT that the Lares are viewed as guardians (sacred guardians if you will -> see Chokehold (I come as a blade, a sacred guardian) and the TOG poem (I am the teeth of God).
The Divide / The Choices
SPEAKING OF the TOG poem, the first email that prompts the choice of house reads "Behold, a Divide", which is very similar to " I am the line between" verse of the poem.
We are presented with two images (which I will get into it later) - House Veridian (crossed swords) and Feathered Host (a feather)
House Veridian: The House Must Endure
Feathered Host: The Cycle Must Be Broken
House Veridian
Veridian is probably a reference to the colour viridian, given the symbol is green. Interestingly enough, this pigment is a "hydrated chromium(III) oxide", os an HEXAGONAL SHAPE (the same shape of the images we see on the email. ALSO. OMG YOU GUYSSSS LOOK:
It is antiferromagnetic up to 307 K, the Néel temperature
What's that you ask? WELL:
In materials that exhibit antiferromagnetism, the magnetic moments of atoms or molecules, usually related to the spins of electrons, align in a regular pattern with neighboring spins (on different sublattices) pointing in opposite directions.
THIS IS BLOODSPORT AND ALKALINE ALL OVER AGAIN, I'M GONNA THROW UP. VESSEL YOU BEAUTIFUL BASTARD NERD. MORE:
Chromium(III) oxide is amphoteric AKA In chemistry, an amphoteric compound (from Greek amphoteros 'both') is a molecule or ion that can react both as an acid and as a base
BITCH.
It is also used to polish BLADES! SWORDS! HMMMM!!!!!
If we think of The House as A Vessel for a god (which is basically what they are, mortal houses of worship), we can definitely see it as "I, the guardian, the fighter, the blade, must endure" . See Chokehold and Higher especially for this.
Feathered Host
I think the connection with thw TNDNBTG/ Euclid is pretty obvious. The constant imagery of angels and heaven in his lyrics, the "cycle" that is completed and repeated with those two songs. The cycle is broken, but it loops again.
You live with angels vs your wings won't find you heaven. You are the garden vs I will go back to Eden. You are far away where I can't reach you vs I will bring down heaven myself for you. Gods vs mortals vs angels. Beginning and End. Like F. Ocean said, "it's a loop. the other side of a loop it's a loop".
I think both of these choices are a very clear representation of the story that has been presented in the trilogy, but even more so in TMBTE. The dichotomy between continuing to fight, to spill blood, to be a hones and well polished tool, and the realisation of the enormity of the violence that persists. The desire for peace, the longing for simpler, more innocent times, for Eden, for Arcadia. A utopia that may only exist in dreams, long forgotten. The fields of elation now barren and sealed off.
Euclid marks the moment of breach, where there's finally a clear thread of hope. The break of the bough, the killing of the self, of the ego. But even then, there is still some attachment for the past weaved between the frayed ends. It's still the autumns leaves, do you remember me? And the final callback to TNDNBTG, the loop. An everlasting ouroboros, the venomous serpent biting its own tail, Even and The Tempter one and the same.
I find it interesting how the double-swords can mean so much. In tarot, it represents an impasse, a stalemate (the card is a blindfolded woman - see the Rain guardian - under the moon holding the two swords). It's used as a battlefield marker. In chemistry, double daggers are used to indicate the Transition State of a chemical reaction. Much to think about.
Show Me How To Dance Forever
Right so, I already made a half-assed post about the Nothing Lasts Forever to Show Me How To Dance Forever pipeline, but I'm keeping it here anyways. They have mentioned dance many times before, in the WH cover, in Aqua Regia and Ascensionism, in the interludes (where they say something about dancing with life and death both if I'm not mistaken).
Now, Aqua Regia makes a reference to Dark Signs . I'm done dancing to alarm bells // (...) I could see dark signs, alarm bells in your eyes. AND, Dark Signs has one of my most favourite lyrics, which goes: I might bend and break to my basic needs to be loved and close to somebody. WHICH WE CAN CONNECT to I Wanna Dance With Somebody (who loves me).
Which poses the question: WHAT are we dancing to? Are we giving in yet again to the need for love, and reveling in what it is a flawed and broken cadence of pleasure and pain alike? Or are we asking to be shown how to dance instead of fight, how to turn despair into tenderness. How to live this new life, a new beginning? Are we forever doomed to waltz with Death, to balance fire in the earth, or are sailing away to new ports, leaving funeral pyres behind towards a new shore, to Arcadia? MANY SUCH QUESTIONS!
The Black Flamingo
I don't know dawg. Is he Vessel? Black and tall and elegant and kinda weird?? Ridiculous wingspan??? Jk. I know some people have already talked about it, and it's potentially connected to the TOG novel (which I haven't read yet), so I'll leave that to you.
I might be missing some things but this is what I have for now. My brain hurts lmao.
You know, looking at Damocles through the lore lens is SO interesting. Because the one thing we do officially have is how Sleep Token came to be.
From their 2017 Metal Hammer interview:
"Vessel encountered Sleep in a dream, with promise of glory and magnificence if Vessel followed Him."
Success, fame, power in exchange for worship. Seems easy enough right? Vessel took the deal, and sure enough, the glory came. But it all comes to a price doesn't it? To worship was the condition, not the payment - it's just that Vessel didn't know how big the cost was. He wanted to get to the top, but didn't realise how steep was the fall.
This reads like a fae's trick, like a twisted granted wish from a genie. A crossroads deal with the devil.
There are many theories about the moral nature of Sleep - are They benevolent or malicious? Is there space for ambiguity? Do They have any regard for their mortal worshippers, or is divine power the only thing They crave?
Regardless of where one stands on it (and really, it's such an open concept that there's definitely space for all of these to co-exist), Damocles to me cements how malevolent and capricious Sleep is. Because if pain and despair is what They crave, why would They warn a mere feeble human of the consequences of the success they so desperately seek?
Especially after TMBTE - we thought that Vessel would finally retaliate, and it was precisely after that decision to fight, to bite back, that they reached the top and saw what was awaiting there. Almost as if Sleep lulled him into a false sense of security, let him hope for the best, gave him a taste of grandeur, and let him find out for himself his golden palace was just another cage - one built with his own flesh and bone.
And how is he supposed to escape from that prision, when the warden is himself?
Slowly, I remember why I cannot pretend
That I never think of you in all this screaming silence
(Oh God, I wish you were here)
I could be stuck here alone
When even my future is threatening
Do you ever believe
That we can turn into different people?
It's getting harder to be (Myself)
Something is lifting the bones
I can tell you won't remember my cracking bones
The trauma we can't regrow
Something is dancing in revelry
And I don't know what's got its teeth in me
But I'm about to bite back in anger
Wider than oceans below
Taller than titans on box springs
Beneath the stormy seas
Above the mountain peaks
It's all the same to me
It makes no difference
And the waters are warm
Where they used to run freezing
Where there used to be storms
In a city of ice, there are burning cathedrals
Turning the skies into glass
And through echoing futures, over buckling sutures
That hold shut the wounds of the past
My horizon is fleeting
If my fate is a bad collision
And if my mind is an open highway
Give me the twilight two-way vision
Give me one last ride on a sunset sky lane
I'm so tired inside
I could sleep through a landslide
So flood me like Atlantic, bandage up the trenches
Anything to get me to sleep
Don't wake me up
But I'm finally here
I will travel far beyond the path of reason
Take me back to Eden
And I'm not leaving this time
My redemption, eternal ascension
Setting me free
So I'll take what I want then leave
You make me wish I could disappear
The fact that Gethsemane opens with "I wanted you to know I've learned to live without it", with his voice all timid and soft, almost apologetic, and ends with an angry "And I've learned to live beside it"? The way he drags and ponctuates the "learned to live", like he's making damn sure he's fully and clearly understood?
The way that phrase repeats twice, and you see the progression in that conversation - from him masking the hurt beneath empathy for the other person, to him getting angrier and frustrated to the point of basically throwing that on their face with a scream, because yeah. He's learned to live beside it, and it's over now and in the past. But he will always be reminded.
And it just. Ends. Open ended. Because he doesn't get to have closure, simply needs to deal with it.
"the heavens just won't open up for me"
Sundowning
Alright, I'm putting some thoughts here, so feel free to skip it if you don't wanna see me ramble on and on.
A few days ago I made a post comparing Distraction with Infinite Baths, and how both albums follow a similar circular path, with Tomb being a spiral, and Arcadia being a circle (feel free to check the post for more on that). I thought that visual was really interesting, and it got me thinking - how would I visually represent each album's path? So here we are (thank you @a-s-levynn for your precious help with it 🥹💙).
Sundowning plays a lot with religious (specifically Christian) themes - the recurring motifs of angels, god(s), divinity, and the whole heaven/hell thing. We start the album with "the night comes down like heaven" and end with "the heavens just won't open up for me". From "you live by daylight" and the whole of Levitate-
Will you levitate
Up where the angels inhabit?
Will you levitate
Where I won't reach you?
-we get the sense that heaven - a place of light, of holiness, of peace - is (or will be) the domain of whoever he is singing to, and therefore unattainable to him (maybe he was cast away, maybe the gods do not deem him worthy).
The night - when the light is gone, and where the gods have no power over it - the time were he and his lover are together (perhaps in secret), the time he feels some respite and affection (in contrasts with the constant fighting during daytime), is the closest heaven he will ever reach. And it's still isn't enough.
Even when he gets a taste of what divinity feels like, the gods, ever inexorable, take that away from him again and again. Almost as if his pain and suffering, his blood, is what keeps them up above, untouchable. Like a game he's always bound to lose, but keeps playing anyways (like he will say again later on, "rather be six under than be lonely").
I thought it'd be interesting to lean on the religious side of it and go for the Trinity symbol, with the Sundowning cover art. An incomplete triangle; denied sanctification. A facsimile of heaven in the nighttime, down bellow.
